San Francisco Youth Hockey Association

Our program

Program Overview

Three tracks, one club: competitive travel hockey, in-house development, and a skating school that starts at age three.

01

A & B Travel Hockey

San Francisco travel teams play competitive youth hockey at the A and B levels through the NorCal season, August to March. Teams are coached by experienced coaches and trained in age-appropriate skill development, and families are encouraged to be actively involved in the program.

Program details

  • Tryouts in June
  • Season runs mid-August through mid-March
  • Practice 2–3 times per week
  • Games once or twice a week
  • Tournaments at Yerba Buena Ice Center and other Bay Area rinks
  • USA Hockey certified coaches
02

In-House Youth Hockey

In-House hockey introduces young players to competitive hockey in a fun, instructive environment. Players graduate from our skating school program into a program built on USA Hockey’s American Development Model, using cross-ice and small-area games to accelerate development.

Program details

  • Practice all year round
  • Open enrolment and drop-in
  • Practices twice a week (weekends)
  • USA Hockey certified coaches
  • USA Hockey ADM instruction
03

Skating School

ISI group classes emphasise the most important component of hockey — skating. Each participant learns the fundamentals of forward and backward skating, gliding, stopping, edge control and crossovers. Classes are grouped by age and skill level.

Program details

  • Open to skaters aged 3 to 17
  • Grouped by age and skill level
  • A free public session on the day of each class
  • 10% off everything in the Yerba Buena Pro Shop
  • Two free guest passes for friends or family

Age groups

Where your player fits

USA Hockey groups players by year of birth. Team counts vary season to season — the numbers below reflect what the club projected for the most recent tryout cycle.

  • 8UMiteIn-house and jamboree teams — no tryouts.
  • 10USquirtTwo to three teams.
  • 12UPeeWeeTwo teams.
  • 14UBantamOne to two teams.
  • 16UMidgetFielded with High School JV-A.
  • HSHigh SchoolVarsity and JV-A.

Getting started

What you need before the first skate

  • Current USA Hockey membership
  • Copy of US birth certificate or US visa
  • A full set of ice hockey gear — see the equipment guide

Tryouts & registration

A/BB/B tryouts run in June for 10U and up; 8U has no tryout and registers directly. Dates, ice times and sign-up links are announced through the newsletter and posted to the news page each spring.

Questions about registration, team placement or fees go to the registrar at sabercatsregistrar@gmail.com.